edgy
Americanadjective
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nervously irritable; impatient and anxious.
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sharp-edged; sharply defined, as outlines.
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daringly innovative; on the cutting edge.
adjective
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(usually postpositive) nervous, irritable, tense, or anxious
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(of paintings, drawings, etc) excessively defined
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innovative, or at the cutting edge, with the concomitant qualities of intensity and excitement
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of edgy
Explanation
If you're edgy, you're uptight, tense, or anxious. You might find yourself getting nervous and edgy right before you take a difficult test. A tendency to get edgy — irritable and jittery — might be a result of too much coffee, or just a personality trait. It's not a very helpful habit in most cases, leading you to snap at other people or just feel tense. An informal way to use edgy is to mean "experimental or daring." In the 18th century, something edgy literally had sharp edges, but by the early 1800s it came to mean "tense and irritable."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The show that began as edgy and daring has become a sort of collective American comfort food.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
A bold, open-concept great room is the heart of the 3,504-square-foot home, where an edgy chef’s kitchen featuring a black-and-white, harlequin-tiled backsplash immediately catches the eye.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
"He has played midfield with England and Liverpool... but he is not a midfielder," insisted Mourinho after his side's edgy 2-1 win.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
The Grammy-nominated band, which formed in Houston, is known for its edgy blues twang in popular singles including “La Grange” and “Tush” and across 15 studio albums.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
I wonder, but my answer arrives within a few edgy moments when that guy from work enters the background, asking, “Who is it, darlin’?” “Oh.”
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
Khosla, who has placed 24 motion-activated cameras in the Sierra Nevada to capture its elusive wildlife, is now pursuing an edgier project, a documentary film on biomass power.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
Now that we’ve confirmed that a somewhat edgier choice is better than a well-intentioned embarrassment, we should file away this memory and never speak of it again.
From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026
He returned to recording in January 1962 with “The Bridge,” which featured a new, edgier and more abstract sound.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026
"If it was edgy to do jeans for November 1988, I think it was even edgier for her to do Madonna," says Amy Odell, author of Anna: The Biography.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2025
Volpe began to dabble in somewhat edgier fare, beginning with Pippin, a dark and existential musical inspired by the story of Charlemagne’s rebellious son.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
Music’s biggest night returns to Crypto.com Arena on Sunday and will bring with it the edgiest fashion of the season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 1, 2026
Every Disney movie raises us to recognize that villains always get the best lines, the edgiest wardrobes and, sometimes, the most darling pets.
From Salon ● Jan. 28, 2026
The result is a strong culinary heritage that even the edgiest chefs hold sacred — and, of course, draws food worshipers from around the world.
From New York Times ● Jul. 19, 2022
Roasts, of course, are known for comedians often gleefully showcasing their edgiest, most offensive and vile material.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 13, 2022
And there’s one of the edgiest tracks yet from the band — “Cutthroat,” an anthem about killing the critic inside of you.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 30, 2021
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
